GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia

It was by far the worst crash I’ve ever seen Windham suffer and it unfortunately took him out of action for the rest of the evening. The news got worse today with the formal announcement that Windham will be sidelined for the remainder of the season, making him the fifth major casualty of '12. The dark cloud has seemed to settle over nearly everyone but Villopoto this year, and now that this championship is wrapped up, you can bet he’s not going to put himself in any potential danger heading into the nationals.

Windham’s misfortune was truly tragic based on how well he was riding. He was fastest in practice and was clearly hitting his stride. He was exceptional in Toronto, looked great in Houston, and was growing in strength heading to his hometown race in New Orleans. The pieces were in place to finish out the year strong and maybe even wrap up a podium result in the championship. Unfortunately, Windham scrubbed just an inch or so too far and it caught his peg and foot, ultimately altering the overall trajectory of the jump. He was pushing hard and sometimes in this sport that’s the outcome.

A lot of fodder has also come from the fallout surrounding Justin Barcia’s post-race antics in Houston. There is no doubt that Barcia was robbed of victory after getting taken out by a lapper on the final lap, which would leave any rider both furious and heartbroken.

Lappers shouldn’t ever factor into a race the way Lance Vincent did on Saturday, but that’s racing and sometimes things go that way. Barcia definitely went too far with his reaction, but you can sympathies with his misguided attempt to deal with his mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness. In the end, all he could really do was shed some tears. His emotions go the best of him, which has happened to tons of athletes before him.

Mark it up as a lesson learned, but not a time to put Barcia down for being passionate. Let’s not forget, Barcia just turned 20 years old and he’s saddled with the pressure of being a high-profile star in a global sport. That’s a lot to ask of a kid and it’s all too easy to forget how young these athletes really are when they’re accomplishing so much.

Enjoy the Easter break. The Big Easy is just around the corner and will surely have some leftover March Madness energy to bring to Supercross’ return.